The Depths of Darkness
by silverlodi
Summary: Luffy and his crew arrive in a new town only find a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows. Luffy asks the stranger to join the crew- but is the cloaked young man friend or foe, and what dark past could he be hiding?
1. Chapter 1

"PIRATES! PIRATES! PIRATES HAVE BEEN SIGHTED OFF THE SHORE!" the cries of the young boy were soon drowned by the panic that ensued.

The villagers, not unfamiliar with the doings of pirates began scrambling to their homes. Mothers swooped up their children and ran inside their houses in fear. Merchants gathered up their wares and closed down shop. Even the bars closed down, their drunken occupants kicked out onto the streets as the owners locked the doors and windows in an attempt to discourage the pirates from paying them a visit.

Not long after, a large ship with a lion figurhead made anchor at the docks. The few townspeople that were brave enough to poke their heads out noticed that the ship sported a flag with a skull wearing a straw hat. The sight of this was enough to strike fear in their hearts, and they quickly went back inside to the safety of their homes. This was no ordinary pirate ship they were looking at. This was none other than the Thousand Sunny Go, captained by the fearsome Monky D. Luffy with a bounty of 300 million beri. The man who, with the help of his monstrous crew, took the island of Enes Lobby off the map and declared war on the World Government. They would be lucky if any of them managed to survive this fearsome visit.

Or so went the thought of the townspeople as they peered out through the cracks of their houses, waiting, with baited breath, to see who would descend from the ship. The first man off the ship was none other than Mugiwara Luffy himself. The straw hat on his head spoke for itself. As the rest of his crew assembled, the townspeople braced themsleves for whatever calamity might strike them.

"Ne, Zoro- why isn't there anyone here?" Luffy asked, truning to his first mate. "It's no fun if there's no people.

"Probably scared of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew from hell." Zoro replied, a crooked smile appearing on his face. Behind him, Nami began to laugh.

"About time people started showing us some defference. If I'm going to have a bounty, might as well get some use out of it."

"Demon lady" Zoro muttered beneath his breath. A second later he was forced to to duck as Sanji's leg came whistling over his head.

"Bastard! What do you think your saying to Nami-san"

"It's fine Sanji" a sickeningly sweet smile enveloped Nami's face. "And don't think I've forgotten your debt Zoro- the interest is still going up every day you don't pay."

"Why you-" The rest of Zoro's words were lost as his captain grabbed them all in his rubbery grip.

"C'mon guys- let's go get some MEAT!!" Luffy yelled launching his friends into a nearby restaurant- ignoring the closed sign and the barred door that clearly showed the owner didn't want any guests.

Zoro grunted as he picked himself up off the floor. That captain of his was going to kill him someday if this continued. He looked up to find that Luffy had demolished the entire front wall of the place. A whimpering sound reached his ears and he turned to see a family huddled in the corner. The father's arms were wrapped around his wife and son in an effort to protect them, but he could do nothing to hide his own shaking.

Zoro let out a demonic laugh. "Hey you- our captain wants some meat. You got anything here?"

The man cringed as he looked up into those merciless eyes. This was truly a demon he was looking at. He muttered a reply, but becuase of the fear the gripped him, his words were not comprehensible.

"Huh? Come again? I can't hear you old man."

"Swordsman-san. You're scaring him. I'm sure that right now he's imagining that you'll cut him and his family into pieces and leave them dead in a pool of blood. You can't be too forceful about the way you say things." Robin announced, making her way through the wreckage to Zoro's side.

Zoro looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Uh huh, and I suppose you never-ending optomism is supposed to do the trick?"

Robin ingnored him, and turned to the man that was cringing in the corner. "It's okay if you don't want to get up. Do you mind if we use your kitchen?"

The man let out another incomprehensible string of words.

"Well I'll take that as a no. Cook-san?"

"Yes- Robin-chaaaan!" Sanji came twirling into the building at the sound of a beautiful lady calling his name.

"This man has kindly given us the use of both his kitchen and his wares. Do you think you could make us something to eat?' Robin asked sweetly.

"Of course- anything for my Robin-chan."

Sanj quickly prepared something for the crew, and soon the eight of them were seated at a table, eating and laughing. Some of the townspeople began coming out of their homes. True, this was an infamous pirate crew, but there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, and they had to get on with the selling of their wares. It wasn't long before the town was bustling with people agian. However, there was a noticeable gape left between them and the pirates who were finishing up their meal.

Luffy jumped up from the table, all the meat was done and Chopper had already bandaged the wound that he had sustained in an unsuccessful attempt to sneak food from Nami's plate.

"Alright! Time to explore the town!" Luffy yelled, grabbing Chopper and Ussop and heading out.

"Super!" Franky exclaimed. "I need to go get some cola refills" and with that he headed out. Robin and Nami soon followed hoping to find some fashionable clothes, and of course Sanji trailed behind them, hoping to help them with their shopping. He had some ideal outfits in mind that he would love to see them in.

Zoro grunted and got out of his chair. He might as well go find a bar somewhere and drink to his hearts content. On the way out he turned his head back to the family that was still cowering in the corner.

"Thanks for the meal- and you might want to get that wall repaired. Makes it easy for people to come in here and steal stuff."

He wandered down the streets until he found a pub. Upon entering he immediately noticed a cloaked figure in the very back corner hidden in the shadows. With one glance he could tell that this was not some innocent villager coming in to grab a drink, but it didn't involve him and he made his way to the counter and asked for a drink.

Zoro was on his tenth mug when a couple of customers who had too much to drink decided to bother the cloaked young man in the corner.

"Oi bro, c'mon and have a drink with us. It's no fun with just two. You've been in that corner for a while now, but you haven't drunk anything. Come have drink with us"

One of the men moved to put his arm around the figure in the shadows, and before he realized what was going on, the man was lying on floor, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Don't touch me" These were the first words Zoro had heard the stanger speak. His voice was calm but it was low and held a menacing ring to it. Obviously this stranger wasn't exactly one to socialize.

"Hey, I'd appreciated it if you guys didn't make a mess of this place," the barman criticized. "If you're going to fight, take it outside."

As the stranger turned around to stare at him, the barman regretted ever saying a word. The stranger's hard gaze drilled into him before it relaxed.

Zoro, watching from the side was surprised at what happened next. The stranger opened his mouth to speak, and instead of the cold menacing words he expected, the stranger courteously appologized to the barman, paid for his meal, and left the bar- or tried.

Luffy, who had walked in the bar looking for Zoro, was just in time to see the cloaked youngster beat the pulp out of the drunken man.

"COOOOL! Hey you in the weird cloak- your pretty strong right. I didn't even see what you did there, but that was really cool. Hey wanna join my crew?" Luffy exclaimed jumping up and down in front of the stranger.

Zoro sighed as he heard the familiar phrase that always ended up getting them involved in a huge mess. The stranger's eyes turned hard again as they focused on Luffy.

"No thanks." That was all he said, but his tone was clear. the young man didn't appreciate being scouted in the least and he wanted nothing further to do with Luffy. He made to leave the bar again, but Luffy blocked his way with an outstreched hand.

"C'mon- you're really strong right? I want really strong people in my crew. How you flipped that guy over was really cool. Join my crew."

As the stranger looked back at Luffy, his alread hard eyes turned dangerously menacing. He was about to say something when Ussop peered out from behind Luffy's back.

"B-Better n-not Luffy. We d-don't need s-someone as scary as this in our crew. This g-guy l-l-looks really dangerous."

"No! I want him in the crew" Luffy responded stubbornly. "Hey, cloak-guy. What's your name?"

"No need for you to know" the stranger responed, obviously trying to end to conversation. "I'm leaving as soon as I can find a ship to get me out of this dump."

"Really? then why not come on our ship? We're gunna be leaving as soon as the log sets anyway."

The stranger turned around, giving Luffy his full attention for the first time. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea. How much do you want to take me to the next island?"

It was at this very moment that Nami happened to walk in, followed by Robin and Sanji, who was barely distinguishable underneath all the bags he was carrying. "Hmm, fare to the next island- that's gunna be a bit pricey. You never know how long it'll take and we have to account for food and lodge. 1 million berri should be enough."

"Don't have it." Zoro grunted with amusement. This guy wasn't one to waste words.

"It's fine, Nami." Luffy put in happily. "This guy's going to join our crew, we don't need any money. Speaking of which, you never told us your name."

"I'm called Silver" the stranger responded. "And I think you misunderstood something- I'm not joining the crew. I just need a lift to the next island."

"Well there you have it- guys Silver is part of our crew now!" Luffy announced, ignoring the last statement. Silver looked like he was going to protest again.

"Don't worry about it. For now it looks like you got a free ride with us." Zoro said, getting up from his chair and downing the last of his beer at the same time.

"Oy, oy- does it matter to anyone that I'm completely against this." Ussop's voice drifted out from behind Luffy's back. "This guy looks like he'll kill us in our sleep."

Luffy laughed, "Don't worry about, Silver's cool. Hey Nami, when does the log set?"

"As if that settles everything." Ussop mumbled as Nami replied. "The villagers said that it should be set by sunrise so we'll have to spend the night in town."


	2. Chapter 2

They walked back through the town together in search of a hotel. Zoro noticed how Silver kept to the back of the group, leaving a distance between them, as if to suggest that he had no interest in being associated with them.

As he inspected the mysterious figure, Zoro noticed that at no time was Silver ever fully relaxed. His eyes were always darting around, analyzing his surroundings, and his body was tensed. There was something strange about their new companion, but Zoro shrugged it off. Silver had his own situation, and Zoro wasn't one to pry.

As if feeling his eyes on him, Silver's sharp gaze turned to meet with Zoro's. He studied Zoro for a second, then seemed to deem him harmless, and returned to previous state.

"Hey guys, this place should do." Nami's voice penetrated through his thoughts. Zoro looked at the building in front of him and snorted with amusement. The windows and doors were barred. Yes indeed, this place would do just fine.

A few seconds later, the door of the hotel came crashing down. Sanji strolled through the doors and looked around. Spotting the innkeeper's wife, his eyes turned to hearts, and he quickly made his way over to the terrified woman.

"My dear lady, I have never seen someone that rivaled your beauty. Forgive me for imposing myself, but would you be so kind as to provide us with a couple rooms for the night. And if you would like to accompany me for a glass of wine, I wouldn't mind at all."

The innkeeper's face turned red with anger at the sight of a pirate flirting with his wife, and in spite of the fact that he was scared to death, walked over to his wife and planted himself between her and Sanji.

"I-if you w-would like a room then kindly take yourself o-over to the counter and leave my wife alone."

Nami walked up to the man after providing Sanji with a decent-sized bump on his head, and secured the rooms. As the group turned to walk up the stairs, Robin noticed that Silver wasn't following.

"Silver-san, are you not coming?" she asked.

"As far as I am concerned, there is no reason for me to join you. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at the docks, but I have no desire to spend more time with you than I need to." Silver said, turning to walk out.

"But wait!" Luffy's earnest voice cut in. "Were friends now aren't we? It's no fun if you go off on your own."

For the first time since they had met, Zoro noticed a flash of emotion enter Silver's face. His eyes welled with momentary anger, but he soon gained control of himself, and it disappeared in an instant. Zoro didn't think anyone else had noticed, but when Silver spoke, his words and tone clearly conveyed the anger that was no longer visible.

"Friends? I don't recall ever agreeing to such a thing. I have no desire nor any need for friends. Make sure you don't forget that." With that said Silver turned on his heel and walked out of the building, leaving silence in his wake.

The others looked on, surprised by Silver's sudden outburst. But Luffy wasn't the type to let such things bother him. They would see Silver again in the morning, and Luffy could work on convincing Silver to be their nakama then. For now, he was tired and hungry.

"Saaaaaaaanji, MEAT!!" Luffy screamed, pouncing on the cook, and startling them all from their daze.

As a disgruntled Sanji went to appease his captain's stomach, the rest of the crew made their way to their rooms. But, when Franky turned around, he noticed that Robin wasn't following. She was still staring at the doorway from which Silver had left.

"Oi, Robin! You coming?" he asked. Robin shook herself from her daze, and turned to answer him.

"Mmmm. I'm not tired yet. I think I'm going to go out for a walk."

Franky considered the matter for a few more seconds. There was something off about Robin. But then he shook it off. As far as he was concerned, Robin could handle herself. If there was something on her mind, she'd tell them later if it was important enough.

"Alright, see ya later."

Robin watched as Franky walked up the stairway and to the room that he was sharing with Chopper, Sanji, and Ussop. Then she turned and left building, carefully lifting the door back up after her.

There was something about Silver that bothered her. The way he was so resistant to making bonds with others, reminded her a bit of herself before she had joined the crew. She began walking through the abandoned town as the memories flooded into her head.

She was nearing the docks when she spotted Silver. She hadn't been looking for him, but now that she saw him, she wondered if she should go speak to him. He was sleeping under a tree without any sort of covering. She watched him for a few seconds before turning back. It was none of her business to pry into Silver's life. If he wanted to, he would tell them all later. For now, she should leave him alone.

Silver watched as Robin's figure retreated back toward the inn and loosened his grip on the dagger that was hidden underneath his cloak. He wondered what her intention had been, but now that she was leaving, it had nothing to do with him anymore.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was in a hurry to leave this dreary town, he would never have even considered traveling with them. The swordsman he had met in the bar seemed alright, but the captain was way too clingy for his liking.

He sighed, if worst came worst, he could just kill them all and be rid of the whole matter. But he wanted to avoid that if he could. Meaningless slaughter held no taste for him. With another sigh, he turned onto his side and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, when the Mugiwara pirates arrived at the docks, they found Silver already waiting for them. He said nothing as they approached, simply waiting for them to reach the ship.

"Good morning, Silver-san" Robin greeted him. Silver turned to look at her, and after what seemed like a second's deliberation, nodded in response.

"SILVER!" Luffy yelled, launching himself at, what he considered to be, their new member.

Silver smoothly sidestepped the flying captain, conscious of the fact that he probably shouldn't hurt the man who was about to give him a free ride. As if she had read his thoughts, Nami approached him with an intimidating look on her face.

"If you think you're getting off with a free ride, I'd think again. I'll get that money out of you one way or another." With that said, she turned back to the ship and made her way up the rope ladder.

Zoro grunted with amusement. "Welcome to the group mate. Now I'm not the only one who owes something to that devil-woman."

Not two seconds later, he and Sanji were at each other's necks. Silver looked on at the scene for a few seconds, not sure of what to make of it. He noticed that the others completely ignored the matter, and deemed it a regular occurrence. He then made his way up the rope ladder after Ussop, who upon noticing this, sprinted up the ladder.

After they had set sail, and Nami had the boat safely on course, the crew fell into its regular routine. Sanji took up his post in the kitchen, Robin was reading a book on a lounge chair on the deck, Zoro was in the crow's nest lifting weights, Franky was tinkering with some new creation below decks, and Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper were playing some sort of game that required the use of the entire ship.

Silver made his way to the railing and sat down with his back resting against the side of the ship. He was unsure of what to make of this crew yet. While most of them seemed like a harmless bunch, there was no way they would have made it this far on the Grand Line if that were true. He had heard rumors about the Mugiwara Pirates, but so far he had seen nothing as to confirm them. But, if he had learned something in his life, it was never to underestimate an opponent. Always assume that the enemy is stronger than you, and you will never be caught off guard.

Silver shook himself out of his thoughts as he noticed that Ussop was warily approaching him. He looked up to acknowledge the fact that he had noticed his presence, and waited for him to speak. Ussop cleared his throat several times before he was ready.

"You know we can't just let anyone on this ship. I don't know who you are, but you're going to have to pass my investigation if you want to stay here."

Silver's only response was to raise one eyebrow. He didn't bother to mention that since they had already set sail, the crew was pretty much stuck with dragging him along, unless they decided to try and throw him overboard. And if they tried to that, he could assure them that he wasn't going down alone.

A couple minutes later, Silver and Ussop were both sitting at a table. Robin chuckled at the scene, reminded of how she had been forced to undergo the same treatment.

"Ahem, so Silver, I'm going to need to know what your past occupations have been." Ussop began.

"I don't see how it's any of your business." Silver responded evenly. Ussop looked like he was going to argue, but decided to let the matter go after meeting Silver's gaze.

"O-oh r-right. Well then, do you have a bounty on your head?" Silver raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be too hard a matter to figure out for yourself."

By now the entire crew was gathered around the table, amused by Ussop's unwillingness to argue Silver's lack of cooperation. The interrogation continued on for a couple more minutes before Ussop conceded defeat. Silver got up from the chair and returned to his previous position, as if he had never been interrupted. Not too long after, he was once again approached, this time by Zoro.

"I was thinking. If you've been traveling on the Grand Line solo, you'd have to be pretty strong. What kind of weapon do you use?" he asked.

Silver pulled out two pieces of metal from under his cloak. They were in the shape of a semicircle, with the curved part sharpened like a blade. In the middle of dull edge, there was a hand hold. Silver grasped one of these weapons in each hand and held them out for Zoro to inspect.

"I'm also quite skilled with the dagger, and I have some experience with the sword, but these are my weapon of choice."

Zoro inspected the two curved blades with interest before asking, "Would you mind sparring with me? I've never fought against this kind of blade before, and I'd like to see how skilled you are. Not to mention there's nothing better to do."

Silver considered the request for a moment before conceding. There certainly didn't seem to be any better way of passing the time.

"Very well, you have yourself an opponent." With that said, he shrugged off his cloak. This simple act elicited many gasps from the rest of the crew, and caused Zoro to stand there for a few moments staring.

On Silver's waist, covered up by his cloak, were two long daggers meant for fighting with. Along his left arm and down his right leg were twenty more daggers holstered into position. These daggers were shorter and meant for throwing. Also, across his back, a short sword was sheathed.

"Got enough weapons there?" Zoro asked sarcastically.

"Yes, quite enough I should think." Silver replied in full seriousness, "But I don't think I'll be needing these for a small sparring match."

Silver reached down and unbuckled the daggers attached to his arm and leg, and detaching the sword from his back. However, he left the two daggers attached to waist.

The rest of the crew looked on as the two men readied their stances. Zoro was the first to attack, lunging forward with his three swords. Silver easily parried the blow and used the motion to swing into a counterattack. Soon the ship was filled with the clash of metal on metal, and the time between each clash became shorter and shorter as the two got more and more into the fight. They seemed to be evenly matched, and neither could gain more than a small advantage on the other before it was stripped away once more.

They were both sweating freely as they readied themselves for their final attack. This time it was Silver who attacked first. Zoro met his blades head on with the two in his hands, but the third one kept going. Silver almost noticed it too late and leapt back in time to suffer nothing less than a small tear in his shirt. Then both he and Zoro launched back into each other and after a series of complicated movements, they stood at a standstill. Each held their blade at the other's neck.

By this point, they were both breathing hard. As they lowered their blades they both eyed each other with a new respect. For Silver, it was the first time he had ever met someone with the strength to match him. No, from what he had felt, if they had both been going at their full power, there was a good chance that Zoro was stronger than him. It battered against his pride to admit it, but Silver was one to give credit where credit was due, and Zoro certainly deserved it.

As they sheathed their weapons, Sanji's voice came from the kitchens, announcing that lunch was ready. Silver was re-attaching his numerous weapons when Nami came up to him.

"If you would like, I could mend that tear in your shirt for you. Of course, there'll be a small fee involved."

Silver looked at the tear in his shirt, it wasn't anything that bad, but he would need to get it fixed. He nodded to Nami, and she held her hand out for the shirt as well as the money. He gave her the money easily, but he had been hoping that he could change into another shirt in a less public area. There was a reason he always wore long sleeves and pants, and he felt reluctant to take off his shirt in front of everyone, quite aware of what the reaction would be.

Nami noticed this sudden reluctance, but could not imagine any reason for it. Finally, Silver conceded and pulled the shirt off. The reaction was exactly as he'd expected. Everyone that had been watching the exchange let out a gasp, attracting the attention of those who had already started to head for the kitchen. They turned back to look, only to stand transfixed at the sight before them. Every inch of Silver's skin was covered with numerous scars. There was barely any free space left on his upper torso where one could see unblemished skin.

Silver shrugged off their gaze and pulled another shirt out from his belongings, slipping it over his head. He turned back to face the rest of the crew, his eyes challenging them to ask any questions. When none did, he headed nonchalantly to the kitchen. After a few hours of fighting, he had worked up an appetite. It was time to see if Sanji's cooking was as good as everyone claimed it was.


	3. Chapter 3

Silver entered the mess hall first and took in his surroundings. Within a few split seconds he had calculated any and all possible escape roots as well as made note of a location where he could view the entire room from.

"MEAT!!!!" The sudden shout from behind startled Silver into full alert. In an instant he had turned around and readied himself for an attack, only to notice that it wasn't him being attacked. The childish captain had launched himself at the plate of food that Sanji had placed in the middle of the dining room table and was currently doing his best to finish it off.

Soon after, the rest of the crew was at the table fighting over the food in an effort to ensure that they each got their fill. Silver noticed how the cook made sure that the two girls got enough to eat and how he didn't hold back from hitting the captain when his fingers ventured too close to their plates.

After a few minutes of carefully observing the crew's behavior, Silver realized that he hadn't gotten anything for himself and proceeded to scoop some meat and rice into a plate, after which he moved into the corner and away from the rest of the crew.

He regretted showing them the scars that he had gotten as a result of many long years of torture. The less they knew about him the better……for both of them. Anyone that Silver got close to tended to either die or betray him, and he had long ago decided that it was better not to form such bonds in the first place.

A movement from the corner of his eye startled Silver out of his thoughts and he looked up from his plate to see Chopper shyly approaching him. The little reindeer seemed to be afraid, but there was a certain amount of resolution in his eye.

"Ummm, Silver? Well….you know those scars….I was wondering if you wanted me to look at them….They look pretty old but there's probably something I could do to make them less noticeable."

Chopper looked up into Silver's calculating gaze. There was a hardness to that look, and when Silver opened his mouth the words were as cold as ice.

"No, I'd rather you didn't touch them."

Chopper flinched, but seemed like he was going to insist when Luffy came crashing into the wall beside them, having been kicked away from Nami's plate by a furious Sanji. He landed with his body upside down and looked up at Silver from his position, eyes quickly zooming in on the unfinished plate in his hands.

"Neeee, Silver. Gimme some food." Luffy whined.

Silver looked down at the captain of the ship unable to comprehend why the others followed such a man.

Zoro noticed the exchange from where he sat and took particular note of the way Silver was staring at the captain. He wasn't quite sure of what to make of it, but from what he's seen of Silver's character there was no way that Silver was going to let Luffy steal from his plate.

After all, this wasn't some generous father-like figure they had picked up. However, the scene that followed soon proved him wrong.

"Of course, Captain" Silver replied, handing Luffy his entire plate of food. The previous coldness was gone from his voice as well.

Zoro looked on in amazement. Silver had barely gotten a bite to eat, yet he hadn't protested in the least and had obediently offered his plate to the captain. Such a sight was unheard of on this ship.

The rest of the crew turned to watch as Luffy happily finished up the scraps. Silver felt the astonished gaze, but didn't pay it any attention. He had learned long ago to follow the orders of those with power in the current establishment and to treat them with the utmost respect.

Plus he hated owing anyone anything, and this man was currently permitting him a free ride along with room and board. Silver would make sure that he earned his way. Living off others wasn't something he liked to do.

"Fanks a lot, Filver!" Luffy said in between mouthfuls, failing to hear the grumbling of Silver's empty stomach.

Silver nodded at the captain and moved back outside. His empty stomach didn't bother him at all. He was used to going days without eating.

The sound of footsteps from behind caused him to tense. For the second time that day, he turned around expecting an attack, and for the second time it was a false alarm.

The cook was standing there with another plate full of food. Silver looked at the man, questioning.

"Here, you gave that idiot captain all your food right?"

"Yeah, but why does it matter to you?" Silver asked, uncomprehending.

"I'm the cook. It's my job to make sure that everyone on this ship eats properly and get the right nutrients." Sanji replied with a shrug.

Silver nodded at that and accepted the plate.

Duty.

That was something he understood.


End file.
